Karl L. Schubaltz
Karl Lichten Schubaltz (Karl Liechien Schwarz in the Japanese version) is a fictional character from[[Zoids: Chaotic Century| Zoids: Chaotic Century]] and Zoids Guardian Force. 'Overview' Chaotic Century Karl is shown to be an honorable soldier who wants peace, rather than war, between the Guylos Empire and the Helic Republic. He seems to be very duty-oriented and dedicated to his work. Although he is loyal to the Empire and Prince Rudolph, Karl despises Prozen, and would later team up with the Republican forces to defeat him. Karl grew up in a rich house hold with his brother, Thomas. Unlike Thomas, Karl was never interested in technology as much as he was interested in maintaining the honor of the family name. As such, he took on the responsibility of taking on this burden, and was more then likely the favorite child. After some time, Karl joins the military, and quickly rises through the ranks. His first appearance is in episode six, were he is shown as the leader of the Imperial 4th Land Battalion in the Red River area. When he and his forces attack the Helic Republic at the border, he retreats due to the collapse of Fire Bride (thanks to Van Flyheight), which halts the arrival of Imperial reinforcements. He later leads an attack on the Helic capital but is stopped by the arrival of the Gojulas. His force is finally defeated after a volcanic erupts and takes out most of the Guylos force. He also takes part in the battle between Prozen and Van by sacrificing the fist of his Iron Kong to immobilize the leg of the Death Saurer, enabling Rosso and Viola to take out its Charged Particle Intake Fan with their Storm Sworders. Guardian Force After the Guardian Force time skip, Karl is still in the Guylos army, continuing to rise through the ranks. By this time, he is shown to have a younger brother, Thomas. In episode 7, Karl is taken under the control of Reese, and forced to fight Thomas. Because he is not consciously aware of his actions, Karl almost kills his younger brother. However, Thomas' is able to use his Dibison's Twin Crasher Horns to puncture the Iron Kong in the chest and stop it from moving. Both Karl and Thomas are relieved by this. Karl would continue to help the Guardian Force in their fight against Hiltz, as he was put in charge of firing the Ultrasaurus' Gravity Cannon. By the end of the series, Karl is still in the Guylos military, risen to the rank of Full Colonel. 'Personality' Like Thomas, Karl is shown to be a straight by the book type of person. However, unlike his younger brother, Karl can take a joke, and he sometimes gives a sarcastic remark himself. He also takes pride in being part of the Guylos military, and is one of the few non-corrupt officers. Karl would prefer to retreat and spare his troops rather than take a risk and drag out a battle. This is demonstrated in episode 7 of Chaotic Century, after Van takes out Fire Bridge, which stops the advance of Imperial back-up forces to Red River. (Karl remarks that Republican support forces will soon arrive, and that by that time, it will be too late to retreat.) He orders another retreat in episode 15 of Chaotic Century when his unit is confronted by the Republic's Gojulas, openly saying that a commander won't stand by and watch his army be destroyed. This ideology of his is shown again in episode 18 of Chaotic Century, where he orders a retreat from the erupting volcano near New Helic City. Karl also seems to favor strategy over brute force. In episode 29 of Chaotic Century, when fighting in a gorge against three Redlers in his customized Sabre Tiger, it is noted that Karl kept the canyon wall to his back, thereby limiting the firing options of the Redler. He also seems to be patient, as he puts up with Marcus' antics throughout the series. In addition to this, Karl is observant, experienced, and well aware of all sorts of military tricks and tactics. In episode 13 of Chaotic Century, he was able to recognize a trap (in the form of a bomb placed in the abandoned Kronos fortress) before the explosion went off. Soon afterwards, he scolds Marcus (who lost half his Molga unit to the trap). In reply, Marcus tells Karl that he will use this opportunity to learn from Karl's experience and knowledge concerning the battlefield. Despite the minor quarrels these two officers engage in throughout Chaotic Century, Karl shows Marcus respect via a proper salute when he is killed at Mt. Osa Base, due to the eruption of the volcano. While speaking to Prozen in episode 7, Karl also showed a similar sort of respect and politeness, even though he dislikes the regent. 'Ability as a Zoid Pilot' Anime Karl is a capable Zoid pilot. He can defeat most enemies with ease, but has been defeated by the main villains and main characters. His Zoid in his debut was a Darkhorn, but he later reverted to piloting an Iron Kong and Sabre Tiger, both of which were modified to utilize the Beam Gatling Gun of the Red/Dark Horn. Later in the series, he was also responsible for firing the Gravity Cannon of the Ultrasaurus under the command of Rob Herman, who stated that Karl was the best man for the job. Although he is not often shown in combat, he is shown to be capable of surviving most of his battles, even if he does get taken down eventually. He displayed a good partnership with Herman when they charged against the Death Stinger, with the plan being for Herman's Shield Liger's E-shield to neutralize the Death Stinger's own E-shield and for Karl to strike from behind. Battle Story In the Battle Story, Karl used an Iron Kong to disable Prozen's Bloody Death Saurer. After being wounded, Prozen opted to self-destruct his Zoid, aiming to destroy the Imperial and Republican armies. Manga In the manga adaption of Chaotic Century, Karl also pilots an Iron Kong. He used it briefly in Wendeen to stop a fight from breaking out in the middle of the city, a second time against Raven's Geno Saurer. He fought using the Kong again to try to stop the Death Stinger when it started rampaging. However, in this third fight, the Death Stinger ripped off one of the Kong's arms, though Karl survived the battle. It is unclear if the Kong was ever repaired or not. 'Relationships' Like all characters, Karl has his own relationships: Thomas: While Karl seems to look down on Thomas or ignore him, he does care for him. He does regret getting in a fight with him, and has risked his life for his younger brother. One gag in the series is that Thomas forgets to address Karl in a military style, normally addressing him in a more brotherly tone. Van: While they were enemies at first, the two would become friends. He even thanks Van at the end of episode 7 of Chaotic Century for taking out Fire Bridge and stopping the battle at Red River. Karl see Vans as a capable Zoid pilot. Prozen: He both loathes and distrusts Prozen, and was aware of that Prozen manipulated the events that started the war between Helic and Guylos during the series but was never able to do anything to stop him. Rudolph Zeppelin III: Karl is shown to be loyal to prince Rudolph. He cares deeply for Rudolph's well-being, and is relieved to see him alive and well after Prozen's arranged assassination. Marcus: Marcus doesn't exactly get along with Karl. Numerous times throughout the series, the two are shown at a disagreement, mostly likely due to their clashing military strategies and personality. Despite this, when Marcus refuses to obery Karl's orders to retreat and is destroyed along with his Iron Kong at Mt. Osa Base, Karl properly salutes him. Raven: Karl disapproves of Raven's destructive attitude and is bitter of the fact that he can do almost whatever he wants under Prozen's command. In Guardian Force, when Raven continues to pose a threat and Shadow merges with the Geno Saurer to form the cocoon, Karl teams up with Van's group to try and stop the evolution. Category:Zoids Anime Category:Zoids characters